Mass Disease

17 Jan. 2012 - It is nothing new, but mass gatherings, such as the London 2012 Olympics, can be a hotbed of diseases from across the world, public health experts have warned. They say it can have consequences for the host nation and for people when they return to their own countries. There are also important issues to consider in handling large numbers of people, they say. A series of reports, in The Lancet infectious disease journal has been highlighting the risks. The theory is that so many people, packed closely together, increases the risk of diseases spreading. Prof Ibrahim Abubakar, from the University of East Anglia, writes that there are risks from diseases already in the host country and from the home countries of the visitors. He highlighted religious or music festivals and major sporting events as mass gatherings which could have a public health risk, such as an influenza outbreak during World Youth Day in 2008 in Australia. One report said increased air travel and the spread of diseases could have "potentially serious implications to health, security, and economic activity worldwide".